Lily, I Dare You to Move
by AsItThunders
Summary: Lily gets a letter that changes her life. Can she get over it? Someone needs to dare her to move. Songfic to Switchfoot's Dare You to Move.
1. Lily, I Dare You to Move

**Lily, I Dare You to Move**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Lily gets a letter letting her know that her parents have been killed in a Death Eater raid. Can she get over it and become herself again? Who helps her? Who can dare her to move?**

**Songfic: Dare You to Move by Switchfoot**

**I own none of this. Both Harry Potter and Dare You to Move belong to their respective creative masterminds.**

* * *

Her life was over. There was no meaning to it. Sure, she had known the war was going on, but here, safe in Hogwarts it all had seemed a million miles away. She hadn't realized how close it was to her. At least, until that morning.

She had woken at her usual 6:14 exactly, gotten dressed in her proper uniform skirt and button down shirt before tying her tie around her neck and throwing on her robes. She had slipped on her knee socks and tied her shoes before grabbing her wand off her bedside table and grabbing her school bag from her bed and walking down the spiral staircase to the Gryffindor Common Room. It was all scheduled, precise, and mastered. She was always down there by 6:31. Then her two best friends, Kelsey and Brink, would show up by the portrait hole, and together the three of them would make their way down to breakfast in the Great Hall.

But then it went wrong, and life lost all its meaning.

The post owls arrived precisely at 7:13, and it was always like clockwork that Lily would look up and usually a safe assumption that there would not be an owl for her unless it was her birthday. Today was different. A large black Barn owl swooped low over the Gryffindor table and pulled up with a soundless halt in front of Lily.

A collective stillness went around the Hall. A black Barn owl was not a good thing. It meant that it was carrying a letter from the Ministry informing the receiver that someone close to them had died from something involving Voldemort.

The whole hall watched as Lily paled as she caught sight of the bird. With shaking hands she reached forward with shaking, white hands and untied the deep maroon letter envelope. Tears were starting to form in her eyes as she pulled away the wax stamped with the ministry seal and opened up the letter. Everyone saw her give a shaky intake of breath and let out a strangled, muffled sob before tearing out of the Great Hall and running down a corridor.

She kept running and kept running until she ended up outside on the grounds on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, huddled behind a tree, hugging her knees to her chest, and sobbing. The letter was crumpled at her feet. She didn't want to see it again. She didn't want to read the words that were engraved into her mind. It was all she saw even with her eyes closed- the image burned into her eyelids.

_Dear Ms. Evans,_

_We are disheartened to inform you that on the 26th of November the Magical Law Enforcement Squad was called upon to your residence where the Dark Mark was discovered. Upon further investigation, it was found that the organization known as Death Eaters had raided your house. There were no survivors. We are saddened for your loss._

_Sincerely,_

_Minister of Magic_

_Prime Minister Wesley Queesborough_

_There were no survivors._ Her parents were dead, and it was because of her. No more Mother who made her pancakes when she got home from Hogwarts. No Daddy who picked her up and twirled her around. No more hugs and kiss as she boarded the Express, no more tuck ins, no bed time stories, no late night cocoa runs, no more Christmases with the whole family. No more amazing birthdays and family vacations. All she would go home to this summer would be an empty house full of memories. Memories she didn't want to remember.

She sat outside for hours crying until finally she didn't have any tears left. She just sat there numb to everything. Lily didn't think she would ever be able to move again. She didn't even feel anything when it started pouring rain. Lily was soaked in minutes, and she was shivering uncontrollably as night began to fall across the Hogwarts ground.

Her dark red hair was curling around her face, and her eyes were somewhat red and from crying. Now, she just sat against the tree, letting the bark dig into her, taking away some of the pain. It was good to feel the pain. It made her forget what had happened.

There was a soft cracking of a branch from behind her, and Lily's head snapped up. She looked around frantically trying to see what monster had snuck up on her in the Forest. She knew she had been stupid to come in there.

"Evans?" a tentative, soft voice said. Lily was somewhat displeased to say it was familiar, and even more scared to admit that it had an unearthly calming effect on her nerves. She stood up, shakily and turned around to find James Potter staring down at her, a new look in his eyes she had never seen before.

"What Potter?" she spit out. It felt good to retort with her usual venom. It helped her forget what had happened. Like old times, before all of this had happened, before she had lost her family, her security, her life.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I saw what happened."

"Yeah, Potter, I'm pretty sure the whole school knows."

"Well, I-"

"Well, what? Come here to make a comment, going to tease me for crying? Huh? Tell me this is some rude awakening to reality? Is that it?"

_Welcome to the planet_

_Welcome to existence_

_Everyone's here_

_Everyone's here_

_Everybody's watching you now_

_Everybody waits for you now_

_What happens next?_

_What happens next?_

James looked dumfounded and hurt. "What are you talking about, Evans?"

"This is my fault! It's all my bloody fault! If I had been a freaking witch, this wouldn't have happened! If I had been normal, I would have to do this. I can't go back in there. Everyone's going to be looking for me to see what happens next, what I do. I cant live up to that pressure. I can't move."

James looked at her as she took a step forward. As he approached, Lily remembered coming out of the barrier last year and running and jumping into her parents arms. There would be none of that this year. She would go to the platform and catch a taxi home. It would be a long summer. She broke down crying again and sank to the floor, forgetting completely that James was there.

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened before_

"Get up."

Lily lifted her head to stare at James. She barely saw him through her tears. It was the first time he had ever spoken to her like that before. "What?"

"You heard me, get up! Get off your butt and get up! Move."

"What makes you think that you can just tell me what to do? My parents just bloody died! Do you know what that means? That means this summer, when I go home this summer, I'm going home to an empty house. You have no idea what that feels like."

James's face darkened and hardened as he looked down at her. "You have no idea what you're talking about Evans. Just because I don't tell everyone how I feel at every moment, doesn't mean I don't. I never told anyone but Sirius that my mum and dad died a year and a half ago. I was miserable that summer, just like you are now. I didn't talk to anyone, I moped around the back yard until Sirius showed up one day and slapped me.

_Welcome to the fallout_

_Welcome to resistance_

_The tension is here_

_The tension is here_

_Between who you are and who you could be_

_Between how it is and how it should be_

"He just hit me and told me to move. And you know what I did? I sat there and punched him right back in the nose. He got up, slugged me across the eye, and I hit him back in the mouth. I leapt forward and gave him a right hook, and we both fell to the ground, rolling down the hill into the pond. Then, I sort of snapped out of it, realized what I had become. And it took, Sirius telling me to get off my lazy butt and move. I realized I couldn't just sit there and let my life go down the drain. But first, I had to move."

Lily just stared up at him. He hadn't told her, not that he had reason to, about any of this. James was more mature and stronger than she imagined. He was stronger than she was right now. He had courage and the guts the get up again and move. He leaned over beside me and placed his hands on the sides of my face and lifted my gaze up to meet his eyes.

"So, right now, Lily Evans, I'm daring you to move. What are you going to do?"

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened_

And it was like something else had take over Lily's body, an instinctual reaction to him being so close. she stood up, getting off the muddy, forest floor and pressed her lips to his, enjoying in the feeling that she was loved.

Harry stood up and walked out of the pensive.

He was greatful James had dared Lily to move.

_Maybe redemption has stories to tell_

_Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell_

_Where can you run to escape from yourself?_

_Where you gonna go?_

_Where you gonna go?_

_Salvation is here_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

_I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened_

_Today never happened_

_Today never happened before_

* * *

**What do you think? Let me know. I know the ending was a little rushed, I couldn't think of a better ending. You never know, I might change it this Christmas when I actually have time on my hands.**

**Much love to all of my readers and a Merry Christmas!**

**HHTF**


	2. Name Changes

Hey Everyone!

I'm sending out this message to those that have me favorited or alerted- I don't even know if thats a word- and putting updates on all my stories so people know!

I am officially changing my name!

Yes, I don't like this name anymore and really want to/need to change it! So, as of today, it shall be **AsItThunders**.

Just letting everyone know!

Love you all!

Merry Christmas,

**AsItThunders**


End file.
